. . .because Morris, Minnesota, is a pleasant, quiet, safe yet intellectually stimulating place on the west central Minnesota prairie, home of the U of M-Morris and a whole lot of interesting people. - morris mn

"You'll never get ahead if you don't take care of what you have." - Doris Waddell, RIP

A historic building on our U of M-Morris campus - morris mn

The multi-ethnic building was the original home of the music department at UMM. (B.W. photo)

Monday, June 6, 2016

Concern about football while we still watch

We
see a major conflict of interest as we try to adjudicate the sport of
football. Here in Morris is a prime example: Big Cat Stadium, a state of
the art facility for high school and college football. Is it really
necessary? It sits there all winter, dormant. The last Tiger football game I ever covered for the print media was in Henning.
There I saw the totally typical high school field from the days before
these fancy artificial turf places. Am I suggesting that Henning
is just as good? That's not really the point. The point is that we
should not be investing in elaborate resources for football at all. We
should keep what we have and begin preparing to phase that out. I
saw the movie "Concussion" a few days ago on DVD. I checked it out from
our Morris Public Library. I'll insert a plug here for the library: I am
very impressed by the availability of reasonably current movies there.
You might have to request it and wait a few days - no big deal. Watching
the movie at home is preferable to seeing it at the Morris Theater. You
can follow the dialogue better. If I'm going to write about the movie online, I am going to want to hear all the dialogue well. The
Morris Theater has historically had sound issues. I have always felt
this was because of the sheer size of the place: it's hard to distribute
high-quality sound over all the space. The last movie I saw at the
Morris Theater was "Tropic Thunder." At present, my system of getting
movies from the Morris library is 100 percent satisfactory. Again, kudos
to our library. Word is, our library director isn't going to be
staying there much longer. I'm very saddened by that. These plans can
always change, as we are learning with Jacqueline Johnson, UMM
chancellor. Remember, Bud Grant came back to coach the Minnesota
Vikings! There I go making a light reference to pro football. We are so
imbued with images and the history of pro and college football. Football
did not have that kind of position in our culture when I was in
elementary school. It was almost marginalized. My parents gave the
impression that it was a foreboding thing, not to be admired, because of
the obvious violence. We saw football enter the real mainstream of our
culture in the mid to late 1960s. I would say that was because of TV
tech advancements making the picture sharper. Football steadily became
an absolute opiate in our culture. The popularity meant that boys
and young men were going to push themselves ever harder to get bigger,
stronger and faster, so as to become heroes on the gridiron. I heard
coaches at banquets implore their young charges to "lift weights in the
off-season." The idea was to knock opposing players on their keister. What a Neanderthal activity. It
belongs in an earlier age, an age when football was consistent with
getting young men ready for military service and combat. We possessed
the common sense in that earlier time to be fully aware of the dangers
of football. Even if those dangers were merely physical and not related
to the brain, football was a sport that should have been discouraged. I
will repeat: Any sport that is too dangerous for girls is probably too
dangerous for everyone. Maybe it's time we excise this one last
"masculine" sport. It's not the way we think nowadays. I will also
repeat: Why can't our entertainment industry do more to erode the
popularity of football? It seems the whole entertainment machine slows
down and capitulates to football at football's prime times of the week.
Those times themselves have expanded, as you all are aware. When I was
young and football began its burgeoning trend, football was confined to
some quite specific times of the week. Consider this principle of
marketing: scarcity or the perception of scarcity has a lot to do with
the popularity of something. The market can get saturated. But is the
football market saturated yet? It ought to be. Unfortunately, or
tragically, football casts this incredible allure that we just can't
back away from. The young men playing the sport, much bigger and faster
than they once were, are punishing themselves horribly out there. I
am fortunate in that I never had the potential to play football in
anything like a competent way. But what about all the kids who get
sucked into this sad obsession called football? Logic demands that we
withdraw from the pastime of playing and watching it. If people stop
watching, the boys will stop playing. We are culpable: us fans. Some
people will read this and want to gnash their teeth. So many of us want
to gloss over or ignore football's unavoidable dangers. We have watched
football with such glee over such a long time. Getting rid of an
addiction can be a painful process involving denial. What would our
Sunday afternoons be like without football? What about Saturday when the
collegians play? There is so much money involved. There is so much
marketing. Towns that invest in these artificial turf fields are going
to want to keep feeding the monster. What if the boys, emboldened by the
new knowledge, watching the movie "Concussion" among other things, just
start walking away? They could so easily find more productive channels
for their energies and interests after school. They could be friends
with their peers from other communities, those young men who in football
would be their "enemies" on the field, feeding pathetic small town
parochialism of the type we saw in the movie "Hoosiers" (Gene Hackman). In
the early '50s we accepted the undesirable model. We are well into a
new digital, information-infused age in which major wars and football
should be put aside as relics. We fight pinprick wars today and even
those are sad. There was no conscription for the Iraq War, unless you
want to count the involuntary participation of National Guardsmen. The
National Guard? Why did we call on our Guardsmen to fight a
foreign war? Today there's an ever-growing consensus that that whole
mess was a mistake. Including the cost of treating wounded soldiers, the
cost to us was something like $6 trillion. Centuries from now, wars
and football will be seen as sad curiosities from an earlier epoch in
human history. The movie "Concussion" might be seen as a little quaint
because it seemed to be walking a fine line: showing us the obvious
about football while still acknowledging its hallowed place in our lives
and culture. Given the demonstrable facts about football, our only
conclusion is that it must be phased out as fast as possible. If we stop
watching, the kids will stop playing. Think about the kids.

Summer scenes around Morris, 2012

Click on the image to view a Flickr album of photos taken around the Morris area in the warm weather months of 2012. This group includes photos taken at the 2012 UMM graduation. The image above taken near Perkins Lake was chosen for display in the "Minnesota Explorers" Flickr gallery which is linked to Rick Kupchella's "Bring Me the News" MN website. Also chosen was a field of sunflowers photo I took. I'm delighted to have such platforms available. - B.W.

Past MACA Tiger football photos:

City of Morris perspective:

Pin it on your chest!

Click on the above image to access our "City Data" page.

Morris Theater - morris mn

Click on this image to read thoughts/reflections on our Morris Theater, which is hanging on through changing times (as a co-op). There is a link at the bottom of this post to read part 2 as well. These posts were written in spring of 2010 so there are some dated references. Any Morris native can spin some fond recollections of enjoying cinema fare there with friends.

Enjoy some fall scenery around Morris:

Enjoy some winter scenes around Morris:

Sam Smith statue - morris mn

Click on the image to read about the Sam Smith "running rifleman" statue at Summit Cemetery. This post explores the life of Samuel Smith, early Morris resident. He fought for the Union cause in several major engagements in the Civil War. The statue is patterned after the statue for the First Minnesota Regiment at Gettysburg National Park. This post is the newest of three that I have written about Sam Smith. I consider it the most comprehensive about the man. The statue can be an overlooked landmark of Morris MN. Everyone here ought to be familiar with it. Smith raised a large family north of Morris.

The first building here

In 1871 the first building erected within the village of Morris was the headquarters of the chief engineer of the railroad, C.H.F. Morris. With the railroad came the people.

The WCROC overlook

A nice view to the west is afforded from the WCROC overlook. It's a relatively new feature of the WCROC grounds. Specifically it's part of the WCROC Horticulture Garden. Click on the image to reach the West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) website. Les Lindor was instrumental in making the overlook a reality. He served the West Central Experiment Station (the entity predating the WCROC) as ag engineer.

Stay informed about Stevens County MN:

Morris' music mecca:

Words to live by

This original and popular sign can be seen from the highway between Morris and Cyrus. It's associated with the late Dan Helberg. There used to be a sculpture next to it but perhaps it was removed due to legal restrictions (i.e. as a distraction). The sign has the thumbs-up for which we are grateful. Let's always heed these words.

Some spring/summer photo scenes:

The bike trail system

Call it both a walking and bicycling trail. It snakes along both the east and west sides of our Pomme de Terre River. You can do a complete lap which reportedly measures 4 1/2 miles. It's a fitness challenge for those willing to push their bodies a little! This photo was taken on the east side of the river, heading toward Lake Crissey (a wide spot on the river). Spring is a great time to get out there.

Our area's history:

Remembering "ag school"

From the time it accepted its first class in 1910, until it graduated its final class of seniors in 1963, over 7,000 students attended the West Central School of Agriculture. The precursor of the U of M-Morris, it opened its doors to its first class of 103 students in October of 1910.

Wildflowers out by the river

Click on this image to reach the "Minnesota wildflowers" website. This photo was taken on the west side of our Pomme de Terre River.

Before the current library

In 1921 the Stevens County Memorial Armory was built on the 100 block of East 6th Street, the site which is now occupied by the Morris Public Library.1969 saw the opening of the new Morris Public Library on the site of the old armory, leaving vacant the Carnegie building. The Historical Society found a new home in the Carnegie building in 1970.

A suggested restaurant

About Me

Brian Williams is a former writer in the Morris "dead tree" media who plies his pastime in the wonderful, liberating new media today. He refuses to consider himself an alternative journalist because the web is now the mainstream. Newspapers are in rapid retreat and it won't be long before they will exist in vestigial form only. Print media will not die because as a media observer put it: "We will always have print media for as long as there's a 'print' button on your computer." A once weekly newspaper (like in Morris) won't cut it. It's not consistent with our instant gratification culture. But the media are blossoming more than ever thanks to all the new tools. It's an uplifting, "green" new universe. Key word suggestions: morris mn - hancock mn - donnelly mn - cyrus mn - chokio mn - alberta mn - 56267 - stevens county - morris theater mn - morris area tigers - hancock owls.

Buy a car:

Pomme de Terre or Perkins?

Most maps identify it as "Perkins Lake" but it's known as Pomme de Terre to many local residents. The sign at the entry to the lake access uses the Pomme de Terre term, so that seems legitimate. This lake is part of a chain that represent wide spots on the Pomme de Terre River. Pomme de Terre Lake is useful for recreation and fishing, plus there are many fine residences along the shoreline. The chain is located several miles north of Morris.

A Destiny Driver. . .

"I Love Morris" is consistent with one of the "destiny drivers" as articulated by Stevens Forward! (named for Stevens County): "By 2010 we will enhance our interconnectedness by better utilizing the technology infrastructure to create a virtual community." (2010 is already here but this is always a "work in progress!")

We're the "Storm" in hockey

Click on this image to reach the official website of the Morris Benson Area "Storm" hockey program. Of course it's "MBA" for short. In Morris these teams play at the Lee Community Center, next to the fairgrounds.

B.W.'s country music memories, 1996-97:

Your Congressman:

Maintain perspective:

Main street of Morris mn

Atlantic Avenue is the main street of Morris and it's typically abuzz. Click on the above image to reach the Stevens County Economic Improvement Commission website.

Gager's Station

The first stopping place in Stevens County was Gager's Station, considered by some historians to be one of the more important stopping plces on the Wadsworth Trail. The station was nestled among the trees near Wintermute Lake.

VIDEO CLIPS

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The Eagles huddle

Blue is the color of the Morris amateur baseball team which goes by the nickname "Eagles." They're pictured about to break a pre-game huddle at their home: Chizek Field, named for the late Don Chizek who coached the Morris High Tigers for many years. The Tigers now have their own veteran coach in Lyle Rambow. Lyle had a successful playing career with the Eagles.

RIP jazz band leaders:

Best dog you could own:

"Dog is my co-pilot":

Superb early-morning TV:

Wind turbines - morris mn

There are two grand wind turbines such as this one on the eastern edge of Morris. It appears glistening white in this photo but they often are dark, silhouetted against the bright sky. A photographer never tires of them. They have become sustainable symbols of the community.

A trail of long ago here

The Wadsworth Trail was established by the U.S. Government in 1864 to transport supplies from St. Cloud to Fort Wadsworth, west of present day Sisseton, South Dakota.

No longer just a comedian:

She's upstaging Jim Klobuchar now:

Visit our McDonald's

It's a hotspot for dependable fast food and, just as important, socializing: our McDonald's Restaurant on the north end of Atlantic Avenue.

Our park in west Morris

Wells Park, located near Pacific Avenue and West 11th Street, was established in 1916 on land donated to the city by Henry Wells (a successful businessman and land investor) and Margaret Hulburd. Additional land was donated in 1935 by the Wells Investment Company, and in 1980 by Grace Zamerow.